ATP Cup 2022: Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Hubert Hurkacz preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match Details
Fixture: Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Hubert Hurkacz
Date: January 1, 2022
Tournament: ATP Cup 2022
Round: Group Stage
Surface: Hard
Prize Money: $14 million
Match timing: Not before 7 pm local time, 8 am GMT, 1.30 pm IST
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Hubert Hurkacz preview
Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas and Poland's Hubert Hurkacz will lock horns on Day 1 of the 2022 ATP Cup.
January 1st, 2022 📅
Mark your calendar, the #ATPCup is back. https://t.co/VS8M7eCXep
Tsitsipas will be looking to build on an impressive season in 2021. The Greek won his first Masters 1000 title at Monte Carlo, defeating Andrey Rublev in the final. He then reached the final at Roland Garros, where he led by two sets against Novak Djokovic before losing in five.
The 23-year-old also reached the semifinals of the Australian Open and finished the year ranked No. 4 in the world. All in all, Tsitsipas won 55 out of 74 matches in 2021, with two titles.
Hurkacz also enjoyed a steady rise in 2021. The Pole scripted a major upset by winning the Miami Masters, defeating Denis Shapovalov, Tsitsipas and Andrey Rublev en route.
At Wimbledon, the 24-year-old defeated Daniil Medvedev and Roger Federer to reach the semifinals, where he lost to Matteo Berrettini in four sets.
Following quarterfinal appearances at the Canadian Open and the Indian Wells Masters, Hurkacz became the first Polish player to break into the top 10 of the ATP rankings. He then reached the semifinals of the Paris Masters, where he lost to Novak Djokovic.
Hurkacz made his ATP Finals debut this year but lost all three of his matches, to Medvedev, Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev. Apart from the Miami Masters, Hurkacz also won the Delray Beach Open and the Moselle Open.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Hubert Hurkacz head-to-head
The two have met eight times on tour, with Tsitsipas leading the head-to-head 6-2. Tsitsipas and Hurkacz locked horns twice this year, with the Greek winning in three sets at the Rotterdam Open and the Pole triumphing at the Miami Masters.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Hubert Hurkacz prediction
Saturday's match promises to be entertaining given how well Tsitsipas and Hurkacz have been playing of late. Both players fared well on hardcourt in 2021, with Tsitsipas reaching at least the quarterfinals of all the Masters 1000 tournaments on the surface except for Paris.
Hurkacz's three titles have come on hardcourt, proving he is no slouch on the surface.
Both players have had breaks to freshen up ahead of the tournament and will be looking to get their 2022 season off to a winning start. If Tsitsipas is fully fit, he should have enough firepower to douse the challenge of the Pole.
Prediction: Tsitsipas to win in three sets.